


A Story You Already Know

by CentralFirstLibrary



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Ancestor-Era (Homestuck), Ancestors, Ancestors (Homestuck), Ancestors with Pre-Scratch Names, As The Title States, Blood and Violence, Casteism | Hemophobia (Homestuck), Day Walkers, Dolorosa POV To Start, F/F, F/M, Finally Writing The Ancestor's History Book, Gen, Hunting, I Am Not Romanticizing What "Relationship" Mindfang Had With Rosa, I Will Try My Best Okay?, M/M, Multi, Or Zombies, Other, Please Suggest Tags If There Is Anything I Missed, Slavery, Someone Just Had To Sit Down And Write It, Tagging This Is Going To Be Difficult, They Typing/Speaking Quirks Are A Weird Mix Of Their Descendants And Beforan Selves, This Is A Story You Already Know, Zombies, aka the undead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-18 20:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21282488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CentralFirstLibrary/pseuds/CentralFirstLibrary
Summary: All the details that we didn't get to hear but were pretty sure were there anyway. From the Signless' hatching to his death. Land to Sea. Separation, and a life too long for anyone to call living. We are going to get the full story, even if we have to listen to it from many mouths and view from many eyes. Sit down, grab something warm to drink and something to hold. Get comfortable. This is going to be a long ride. Who knows how many sweeps we'll be sitting here for.
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, The Disciple/The Psiioniic | The Helmsman/The Signless | The Sufferer, The Disciple/The Signless | The Sufferer, The Dolorosa/Spinneret Mindfang
Kudos: 60





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy

For a second her thoughts faze back to being her own. Her shoulders relax because she knows that if her thoughts are coming back into place, it is time for sleep. Not that she needs it. But she also knows that if it’s time for sleep-

♏️: The resting sla8 is ready, are you?

She looks over her shoulder as she stands beside the edge of the ship, a smile on Mindfang’s face. Nodding her head she rests her hands on the wood and pushes away, walking down the three steps to meet her at the door of her quarters. The cerulean presses a gentle kiss to her forehead and steps into the room, heading right towards the windows to pull the curtains closed. 

The sun will be rising soon. She hasn’t stood in its warmth in a while. She misses it. She misses a lot of things.

As she starts to collect her thoughts, not knowing how long she’ll have them, Mindfang walks back in front of her helping her out of her close. Again, not like she needs it. She can undress herself, but she knows there are moments where the Marquis is gentle with her. This is one of those moments. 

♏️: It always amazes me how many tattoos you have. They’re 8eautiful- _you’re _8eautiful.

♍️: Thank Yo+u Miss.

Mindfang sighs and walks past her, shutting the door and shutting the curtains again. The crew is all below deck, most likely already asleep.

♏️: It’s just us, you know you can call me 8y my given name,_ Porrim._

♍️: I Kno+w..Aranea.

Now, just in her chest wraps and her leggings, Porrim moves over to the resting slab. Sitting up against the wall, she sways with the ocean beneath them and tries her best to peak behind the curtain without letting the light in. Watching the sunrise was something she loved to do while he was sleeping. 

♏️: What’s making you smile like that?

♍️: Excuse Me?

She looks away from the window and let’s go of the curtain, watching as Aranea continues to write in her journal. Porrim always wonders what she is writing in there, she isn’t allowed to read her writings.

♏️: You’re smiling. What are you thinking a8out that is making you smile that way? 

♏️: You’ve never smiled like that for me. So. I’m simply curious.

Folding her hands in her lap, she looks down and tries to make her smile fade. But it only grows as memories resurface, as she realizes exactly what day it is. 

♍️: ...

♍️: It Is My Hatchling’s Wriggling Day To+day.

When she looks up, Aranea is giving her a smile. It’s not a happy one. She can’t quite put her finger on exactly what kind of smile it is. Apologetic maybe? Looking back down she takes a deep breath and finds herself looking back out the window carefully, her smile only growing as the warmth touches the tip of her nose. 

♏️: What happened?

Her brows knit together and she looks over at the other woman. What? She knows Aranea knows the story. The things her child preached. She took her away from that _bastard _of a man for a reason. What the hell does she mean, What happened?

♏️: From the top. What happened? Why did you 8ecome Alternia’s first mother?

♏️: What made you The Dolorosa?

That title. The other captives called her that after the execution. She didn’t care for it, but it is what she’ll be known as for sure. Forever. 

♍️: I Do+ No+t Mean To+ Co+me Off As Rude, Miss.

♍️: But Why Wo+uld Yo+u Want To+ Hear Abo+ut That?

♍️: Isn’t It A Sto+ry Yo+u Already Kno+w?

Chuckling, she nods her head and dips her pen in the ink jar again. She lets it rest there and crosses her arms over her chest, as well as crossing her legs, as she sits back in her seat. 

♏️: Yes, I know a lot. 

♏️: 8ut it’s not everything, it was just the movement.

♏️: What I know, wasn’t your life.

♏️: How am I suppose to care for you properly if we don’t even know each other, Dear?

♏️: That first night...What happened?

Taking a deep breath she shifts on the resting slab, pulling a cushion into her arms. She really wants to hear it? The whole story. _Her _story.

♍️: It Was Mo+rning.

♏️: What? 

♍️: The First Night- It Was Mo+rning.


	2. Chapter 2

Not needing any sleep, one can really be productive. Not that I don’t enjoy sleeping, there are moments where I all want to do is sleep. But if there is anything I like more than sleeping, it is sitting in the warmth of the sun with my Lusus. Life as a Jadeblood is not an easy one, but I do have to admit that in some cases we are the lucky ones. We do not need to worry about being exiled, we do not have the societal pressure of having quadrants as our focus is to care for the Mothergrub and her brood. We all are able to be close to one another in a way that trolls outside the cavern are not. 

For example, if we went out of the caverns someone could easily mistake us as moirails or any other quadrantmate even if we act that way with our other hatchmates. The rules are just different for us, I wouldn’t come to realize how different the world is for those who did not share my blood for quite some time. I had only turned ten sweeps the perigee before.

One of my favorite things to do whilst sitting with her, was to wipe down the eggs with a soft cloth I had obtained somehow. I don’t remember exactly how I had managed to get my hands on it, perhaps I had woven it myself or it was given to me at some point. This isn’t exactly an important thing, but it is something I like to reminisce about. 

That’s what I was doing. On the morning it all began, when my life would be changed for the better. Even if..my life would grow dark. The stress, the pain, the loss. The thirteen sweeps of joy I lived through made it all worth it. 

All eggs, even though they are delivered relatively around the same time, hatch whenever they please. That being said, the first one shouldn’t have hatched for another perigee or two. I was only wiping the eggs down to keep them steady and promote good healthy function; I hadn’t expected to hear a screech from deeper in the cavern. The thing is, when you’ve been around grubs for so long, you know exactly what one sounds like. One hatched, prematurely at that. One hatched, all alone and sounded frightened. 

Being the only one awake at the moment, I had to be the one to investigate. To search the caverns, the only thing guiding me is my own light. I was mindful of my steps, the caverns are lined with so many eggs. To think all of them came from a single Mothergrub, my lusus truly was incredible. I had to make sure that I didn’t step on one or trip over my own two feet. As I walked about, occasionally the screech would get louder, sometimes I got to hear a scuttling noise. As well as our eyes function in the darkness, I knew that freshly hatched grubs didn’t have that blessing. There was a good chance this little one was running blind, trying to find its way out of the cavern. 

Then I had heard a squeak so loud, it had become clear that the little one just then realized it was only making themselves more lost. So, I picked up the pace, running towards the noise until I saw it. 

The King’s color. The Imperial color. A color that shouldn’t naturally exist in a grub. 

My eyes went wide and I fell to my knees, in shock.

I’ve worked in the caverns ever since I could walk after my second hatching. I learned everything from the Mothergrub herself, things have changed plenty over the sweeps but one rule that has been true through and through was:

Cull any grub that shows signs of mutation. 

In my head I always considered it a mercy kill. If a grub has a mutation, who knows how long it will last out there outside the caverns even with a lusus? It was the only thing that kept me from feeling guilty over it, and as I stared at the grub they stared right back at me. 

Chittering up a storm.

I panicked, from what I knew I was the only one awake at the moment but, I didn’t want the creature to be heard. I pulled them into my arms and shushed them gently as I rose to stand, rocking them to get them to calm down. This is what happens when I am allowed to think, I hesitate, I think too much. Why didn’t I just put the grub out of their misery? 

Their misery. 

That’s exactly why. They had barely been alive, by the thin sheen of slime on their shell one could tell that they hadn’t hatched even an hour ago. Why was their existence considered something of misery? All because their color didn’t fall onto the hemospectrum? Then again I must have _not _been thinking. If I was thinking I would have culled it on the spot, or maybe even taken it outside for the undead to feast upon. Culling it with my own hands would have been considered the right thing to do. 

So why did I calm the grub down and leave the brooding caverns? Why did I walk further through the tunnels to find my block? Why did I begin packing a small bag of clothes and bottles I had stored as if I was going to leave the world behind? Because-

It felt like the truly _right _thing to do.

I didn’t have much, at least not much I could bring with me. I took one of my dark grey shawls and tied it around my chest, making a sling out of it. I took as much as I could, clothes, sustenance, my saw, and food. 

Food. 

Not even for myself, for the child. 

For _my _child. 

♀♀♀

♏️: So it was all on a whim? You changed the world on measly whim? 

♍️: ... 

♍️: Do+ Yo+u Believe In Fate, Miss?

Porrim looks up from her lap and looks over at the Cerulean with a tired smile. She watches as Aranea shuts the journal and makes her way over to the resting slab, pen and journal in her hold. She sits beside her and reopens the book, it catches Porrim’s eye and she knows she shouldn’t read it but for a split second she swears her captor is writing down the things she is saying. She’s writing her story?

♏️: Honestly? I think it’s all 8ullshit. 

♏️: Do you? 8elieve in f8? 

♍️: I Do+.

♍️: Which Is Why I Do+n’t Believe It Was All So+me Whim. Saving My Bo+y Was My Destiny. Even If In The End It Wo+uld Be The Same Fate That Do+o+med him.

Aranea reaches out and cups her chin, pulling her into a kiss with a soft frown on Porrim’s lips.

♏️: Tell me more. 

♀♀♀

I had left the entire cavern that morning.

It hurt me deeply to leave behind everything I ever knew but my pusher told me that it was what I must have done. I said goodbye to my lusus for the last time that morning, I gave her a kiss and walked out into the sunlight, my saw held against my hip as I made my way into the woods. I had the grub resting in the sling on my chest, bundled up to hide the color of his exoskeleton. I knew that would be the last time I ever saw her, the last time I would see many of my companions. Just me and this child again the world for some time to come.

I didn’t know where I was going yet, I knew I had to keep on walking until I couldn’t anymore. Going during the day, under the burning sun, was dangerous. That being said, if there was anyone that could face it it was myself. The dangers of the sun were nothing compared to the undead. Especially once we reached the desert. It’s nearly impossible to _not _run into the undead in the desert when the sun is up.

But I did what I believed anyone would do. 

I took my saw out and slaughtered them. More focused on the safety of the child than my own. I ran as quickly as I could, but as the sun began to lower they began to leave. To this day I still have no idea where they go. Not into the caves, not into the ocean. Where do they go? Perhaps into the ground. Them disappearing was the sign that I needed to hurry. So I culled the ones I could, using the empty canteen I packed to bottle the black blood.

It’s disgusting. Ten out of ten would _not _recommend. But I needed to take what I could. The food I packed wasn’t for me, I would not eat it. There wouldn’t be anything to feed on for hours and I refused to feed on the child. I was- I am not a monster. I would find other means of survival.

With the heat of the sun slowly dissipating, I knew I would have to seek shelter soon. I had been walking for hours without eating, which was fine I could manage much longer periods. A grub cannot, they were probably already starving. Even grubs on the lower end of the hemospectrum and eat just as much as teenage highblood, especially the closer they get to the cocooning stage of their life. I couldn’t exactly stop in the middle of the desert to feed them, but I was still so far away. All I could do was chitter softly, doing my best to keep them calm and distracted from the pains that come with hunger. 

I had been lucky in the fact that it was starting to becoming nightfall and the child fell asleep in the sling by the time I had reached the edge of a village. It was lined with woods and when there are woods, there are caves. I pulled my hood up over my headwrap and kept my head down, trying to get as far away from the dense population of the locals. My focus was on finding an empty cave and setting up camp there to feed the child. Anything else that would arise would be dealt with on the spot but I would avoid it at all costs if I could.

I was lucky to find a cave that was empty other than a small pack of hopbeasts. They didn’t seem to mind the company and neither did I. I was able to put my belongings down and wipe my saw clean. I used the fabrics I had packed away to make a small nest for the grub to rest in as I set up the entrance of the cave. Putting a lantern outside as well as covering the entrance with a large quilt one of my hatchmates had sewn me for my wriggling day.

With all that done, I was finally able to sit down inside the cave and relax for a moment. It hadn’t even been a whole day, I was exhausted. I’d get used to it in time, but I didn’t know it then. But even in that moment I couldn’t allow myself to get some rest. The child needed to eat. 

The thing with grubs is that they have incredibly sharp teeth but- 

They don’t know how to shred their food yet. That’s the lusus’ job, to catch food and break it down and allow them to eat. As the caretaker of the child that was now my job. I went through my belongings and separated the food I had packed. 

I don’t normally eat this kind of food unless I was craving something, but there I went. I took a piece of the smoked meat one of my hatchmates made and jarred. I chewed it up and spat it back out into my palm- one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever done in my entire life. I gagged when I looked down at what was in my palm and immediately had to look away. 

♀♀♀

♏️: You’re smiling again. 

♍️: My Apo+lo+gies, Miss. 

♏️: Don’t 8e sorry, as gross as it is to smile over. A happy memory is a happy memory.

♀♀♀

It took me a moment to get over the fact that I had cud on my palm, but once I did I looked down at the grub in front of me and cooed softly. They let out a trill and my pusher melted. I dipped my finger in the mash and stuck it out to the child, rubbing it against their teeth for them to lick clean and eat. We took turns, I would chew the food and spit it out, giving it to them as I sipped from my canteen. We were going to be okay, especially with the moons up in the sky now. I gave the child as much as I could, reasonably at least, and stroked their back until they purred and fell asleep on my lap. 

I knew I wouldn’t have much time, that I could survive without it, but I laid down in our little nest. I held them close and pulled a blanket over us. As I laid with them in my arms I began to notice something. 

They were warm. Warmer than any burgundy blooded troll I had ever met. Their blood coursing through their body felt like fire, a passion not yet discovered was always within the child. My own body was much cooler than their but I put up with the slight discomfort of their heat to keep the blanket over us just to be safe. I kept my saw within the reach of my fingertips and then finally allowed sleep to take over.

I didn’t know exactly how long I was out but what I knew was that I hadn’t slept for long by the fact that the moons were still up, and that was alright I felt much better. Sitting up I looked under the blanket and a smile crept onto my face at the sight of the grub curled in on themselves, tucked close against my chest. I couldn’t help the purr in the back of my throat. I pulled them close and continued to lay back just for a moment, enjoying the moment of peace between us before I knew we would have to leave soon. But I would wait until they were awake to start packing everything back up. 

If I’ve learned anything in the caverns is that, there’s no need to wake a sleeping grub early. Let them sleep as long as possible. So, once I feel his talons grip the fabric of my gown I knew it is time to leave.

I cooed at the child to get them to let go as I began packing up but it wasn’t long before they climbed my back and clung like a shriekcritter on a tree during the dry seasons. I had to take them off of me again, I never met a grub so clingy before. It was a welcomed change of pace. I rolled them up in the sling again and changed out of my current gown. There was too much jade on it and I couldn’t take the risk of being caught. 

A jadeblood outside of the caverns alone was unheard of. When we leave we usually have a partner or two at our sides, for safety. And here I was, with a mutated grub on my chest, all alone in the world, still considered a child for my caste.

Now in more discrete clothes, I kept the child in the sling and put a headwrap on to conceal myself further. I put my belongings on by back and made my way out of the woods, stopping at a stream to fill the canteen with water, which I fed them only to refill for the journey ahead of us. It’s going to be a long and stressful one, never stopping in one place for too long. Always on the move, only stopping to find food for the child. Even if that meant getting my claws dirty with the blood of a woodland creature. Which was fine, this way we both got to eat something and cook it off to take with us along the way. Keeping this child alive was my only concern and I knew as they continued to grow, it would only get more difficult to keep us both from getting culled and I can’t die.

If I die, they die. 

That just wasn’t an option for me.

♀♀♀

♏️: Speaking of things that aren’t an option-

♏️: It’s time to sleep. 

♏️: Staying up any longer isn’t happening. 

♏️: Let’s...continue this l8r

Porrim watches her as she shuts the journal and sets it to the side. She slowly lays back down, rolling onto her side so that her back is towards the cerulean. Aranea lays behind her, her arms around her tightly to keep her close as she kisses the back of her neck gently. She whispers something against her skin but she isn’t able to register what it was because her mind goes fuzzy and sleep as well as..something else takes over.


End file.
